


Assumption

by MaryBarrens



Series: Merlin Translations [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Episode: s04e08 Lamia, Friendship, Gen, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 19:46:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6128086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaryBarrens/pseuds/MaryBarrens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwaine looked apologetic and a little ashamed, but he shook his head firmly. „I wanted to talk to you about the Lamia not having any effect on you. I think I know why.“</p>
            </blockquote>





	Assumption

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Assumption](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2695187) by [MaryBarrens](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaryBarrens/pseuds/MaryBarrens). 



Gwaine looked a little insecure. 

Merlin frowned suspiciously and stared at him. Gwaine has never been insecure. He´s always been incredibly confident, often too much for his own good. The expression he was wearing now – the hesitant smile that didn´t reach his eyes at all – didn´t really sit with him well. 

„Are you alright?“ asked Merlin slowly and took a careful step to him, his head cocked to the side. 

Gwaine shifted his weight from one foot to the other (Merlin watched the move with a frown) and then he grinned fleetingly, before turning serious again. 

„I was just thinking…“ 

Merlin blinked. Oh. That was so not good. Not that Gwaine was stupid or anything, because he really wasn´t, but still… Gwaine has always been spontaneous, never one to think much about the consequences before doing something. If he was thinking so hard about something as was his face indicating, and more so, if he decided to _talk_ about it to someone, something was probably very, very wrong. 

„About what?“ Merlin asked, baffled. 

Gwaine jerked his shoulder, exhaled lengthily and pushed his fingers through his hair. It was unsettling. 

Merlin wanted to ask him again if he´s alright. What was he thinking about, looking like that, being so insecure? And why was he here to talk about it with Merlin of all the peop –

Ah, shit. Gwaine´s seen something, hasn´t he? He´s seen him to drop a branch on one of the bandids that last time, without Merlin even moving, right? Or maybe he´s catched him in the armory, polishing Arthur´s sword with magic, and he just hasn´t asked him about it right away? That must have been it. Sure, Merlin has always knew he´s not been as careful with his magic as he should be, but sometimes there hasn´t really been another way. How exactly was he supposed to be careful, when sometimes magic was the only thing –

„Well,“ Gwaine hesitated and Merlin liked it less and less with every passing moment. How many knights could he let to find out about his magic anyway? Well, there was Lancelot, but he was an exception, not a rule. And it´s been necessary, because they wouldn´t have killed the griffin any other way. 

Merlin certainly couldn´t count on another knight – even as good a friend as Gwaine – deciding to overlook the magic ban and keep Merlin´s secret. 

He wanted to say something, probably something about him not doing anything wrong, about how he´s never really studied magic, because he was actually born with it, thank you very much. He wanted to say he´s always ever used it to protect Arthur, never to hurt him or to try to take over his throne or anything (and honestly, they had to know that if he´s wanted to hurt Arthur, he´s had more than enough chances to do it, right?), when Gwaine finally spoke again. 

„I´ve been thinking about what happened a few days back,“ he admitted slowly and looked searchingly at Merlin. „With, you know – the Lamia.“ 

He almost shuddered, saying that. 

Merlin frowned. That´s what´s given him away? The Lamia? Merlin hasn´t thought that any of the knights would be able to put two and two together and find out why the girl hated him so much and why Merlin was immune to her. Maybe Gwen could, but she hasn´t said anything about it afterwards, so he hasn´t really worried about it all that much. 

Now Gwaine was here, asking about it and what if there was some other knight right behind the door, just waiting for Gwaine to arrest him and take him out? 

No, Merlin shook his head. Gwaine would never do anything like that. 

„Merlin,“ Gwaine addressed him softly and Merlin looked at him. Gwaine didn´t seem to be angry. He didn´t look like he was about to accuse him of using magic or to drag him out of his chamber and throw him to a bunch of pissed off knights and even more pissed off Arthur. He appeared to be lost in thought instead, his head cocked to the side as he was looking at Merlin. 

Maybe he wasn´t here because he´s found out. 

„You don´t have to apologize to me again, Gwaine, if that´s why you´re here,“ Merlin said and smiled a little at him. Gwaine was a soft hearted person in the end and Merlin still remembered his face – all the knights´ faces, actually – when it´s been over and they´ve came to their senses. „I know that what you´ve done wasn´t your fault. Any of you. The Lamia casted a spell on you. You couldn´t do anything about it and I´m not angry with you, really.“ 

Gwaine looked apologetic and a little ashamed, but he shook his head firmly. „That´s not why I´m here, even thought I´ll probably never stop apologizing to you for it,“ he said honestly, his voice sad. „I wanted to talk to you about the Lamia not having any effect on you. I think I know why.“ 

Merlin opened his mouth for a moment but he didn´t know what to say. So Gwaine _has_ found out after all. He´s really found out and now he was here for him, maybe to hear him out, before deciding what to do about it? But Gwaine wasn´t angry, he wasn´t even scared of being turned into a toad or something, and Merlin allowed himself to hope. 

Maybe it could be as it was with Lancelot? Gwaine was not from Camelot after all, he wasn´t as suspicious as most of the locals were. He´s probably even met people who had magic and haven´t used it to hurt anyone. He might be much less prejudiced against magic than any other knight. 

He may even be here, instead of gathering the army, because he just couldn´t believe (even Uther, the very king of paranoia, had laughed him off, when Merlin had told him) that someone like Merlin could have magic. 

Merlin lowered his eyes and gulped. What should he tell him? _How_ should he tell him? „I´m sorry, Gwaine,“ he said softly. „I´ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but…“ he shrugged his shoulders and looked up at him. He smiled sadly and tried to ignore his trembling hands. „I didn´t know how. It´s not exactly something you can talk about freely in Camelot and if anyone was to hear me –“

Merlin stopped in the middle of the sentence, because he didn´t know how to continue, but Gwaine didn´t need another words. And still he apparently wasn´t going to kill him. He seemed to be curious and concerned, sympathetic even. 

„You don´t have to explain anything to me, Merlin.“ Gwaine smiled at him for the first time since he´s came in. He shook his head and watched him kindly. „I´ve met all kinds of people. I don´t care much for the details.“ He grinned widely. 

Merlin blinked surprisingly. Details? Gwaine thought that having magic in a kingdom that punished magic users by death was a _detail_? That _sounded_ like Gwaine. Merlin snorted with amusement. 

„I was just wondering… since when –“

Since when does he have magic? Did Gwaine think you have to _study_ magic, like Gaius has, when Merlin has only just came to Camelot? 

Merlin looked steadily in his eyes. „As long as I can remember. Since I was a boy. It´s not something I would want or something I´d choose. It´s… I was born like this.“ 

Gwaine watched him thoughtfully for a few moments, but then he nodded. „Alright.“ He took a step closer to Merlin and touched his shoulder. „I want you to know that this doesn´t change anything between you and me. You´re still Merlin. And you´re still my friend.“ 

So he really wasn´t going to put him in the dungeons, probably not even to share his findings with others. 

Merlin relaxed and sighed. He got to his bed slowly and sank down onto it. 

Gwaine sat down next to him and touched his shoulder to Merlin´s with a quiet laugh. „Come on, this isn´t the end of the world,“ he said and his smile widened before he got more serious again. „Maybe you should tell him?“ he suggested. 

„Arthur?“ Merlin looked at him incredulously and shook his head in horror. „Are you joking? He´d have me killed!“ 

„That´s not true.“ Gwaine frowned, clearly worried. „Alright, I know that the princess is a little old-fashioned in some areas and sometimes he acts before he stops to think about it, sure, but he cares about you. I´m sure he wouldn´t have you killed just because you like men.“ 

Merlin opened his mouth and blinked. „What?“ he said, uncomprehending. 

Because really – _what_? How did they even got from magic to talking about who does Merlin prefer to bed? What was the connection there? How did Gwaine found out about – oh. Of course. Gwaine has been thinking about what had protected Merlin from the Lamia´s charms, when she had been able to bewitch any other man but Merlin. 

Gwaine has never actually talked about the magic at all. 

„Well, I mean…“ Merlin was taken aback and he was thinking about what to say to that, but Gwaine paid him no attention. He was just smiling widely at him, petting his shoulder. 

„I´m glad you´ve told me, Merlin,“ he announced honestly and squeezed his arm encouragingly. „But if I don´t get back to the training in the next five minutes, Arthur´s gonna tear my head off.“ He laughed loudly and took his leave. 

Merlin looked after him without a word. The conversation about the magic would just have to wait for another time, it seemed. Probably both conversations. 


End file.
